Painting the Roses Red (An Ib AU)

Chapter 2: Meeting a Friend

Ocean's Point of View

I jammed the blue key inside, and the door gave way.

"****, ****!" I mumbled as I stumbled inside a well-lit, green room with paintings of bugs on the walls. A small ant zoomed around the floor, but I knew that it was harmless. I sighed, scratching my head. I slowly walked past paintings of metamorphosis and ducked through a door. A huge hole gave way inches in front of me, nothing I could jump across on, I groaned and head back. A sign beside the paintings stopped me.

'Beware the edges!', a thing warned. I walked directly in the middle, a feeling of dread going over me, five shadowy hands popped out of the walls just out of reach of grabbing me. I yelped shrinking down, I crawled directly on the middle still having the feeling of dread going over me, that's right. I soon discovered an ant painting swinging like it was loose on the wall. I took it down finding a perfect use for it as a bridge.

I zoomed passed the hands and placed the painting down on the ground, forming a bridge between the halls. I walked across it feeling it was unstable; I crossed the 'bridge', and spotted a green, shiny key on the floor in front of a dark statue in a red dress. I stared at it, picking up the key.

'It seemed to move forwards; did I imagine it?' I asked myself. I stepped back as it began following me, growls coming from its invisible mouth, soon it fell through the painting. I took a deep breath as I heard it slightly fall, the sound of glass shattering on the ground below.

I felt a small laugh coming on and question my sanity. Then I shrugged and moved on unlocking the door and throwing the green key away for the hands to grab at, I looked back at the room I stood in, the door closing shut behind me.

Two eyes similar to that of a cat's stared right back at my dark brown ones, a hole for a fish in the middle.

"How am I supposed to find a fish...?" I muttered angrily, just wanting to wake up and go to Maya again, I went on the left path shrugging. A dark stick figure was painted up on the wall, large pillars with curtains surrounding it.

'Play hide and seek with me?' The description said and it disappeared as buttons grew out of the curtains.

"Well, fine then." I said as I pressed a button; a picture of a moon showed up, the lights dimmed. I pressed another button, a painting of a lady.

"Gah!" I semi-yelled as I jumped back before I heard a piercing scream and a hand barely missing my face. Time for the next button; a painting of a girl... Black/pink hair over their upside-down face, jeans, short sleeve red shirt, and a hoodie loosely tied around her waist. Her eyes were shut as she hung upside-down, I shuddered although not quite that scared, and moved on. The next button contained a picture of the stickman.

'Found me, you get a prize...!' The message below it said, I heard a 'CLUNK' and saw a wooden fish on the floor. I snatched it up and got out of there. But a crashing sound in the next room snatched my somewhat happy moment, along with the sound of a man's scream. I inhaled sharply, pushing myself against the wall and not daring to make around. I tried to calm my breathing down; that scream sounded strangely familiar to me and I had no clue why.

Peeking around the corner, I saw a few shards of clay on the floor, along with three purple/black petals scattered around. I stepped away from my hiding place in curiosity, understanding that arose is one's health line, someone was probably in trouble.

"Hey, are you-" My voice was muffled over the sound of more glass breaking and boxes being crushed.

"****!" A man's voice screamed.

"Hey, I'm not that harmful..." I said as I walked into the dark room, seeing a young man not that much older than me lying on a pile of crushed boxes, shards of clay from a statue in his torso. He had a brown/green hair over his deep blue eyes, full of fear and panic, along with a black jacket next to him. His hand was raised in a weak gesture of fear, fingers bleeding.

"Hey chill, friend!" I raised my arms in a gesture of peace while he stared at me.

"Y-you're not one of those mannequin things...?" He asked in suspicion.

"No do they talk? Plus, I don't even like dolls, why would I like mannequins?" I said as I chuckled, and then I get scared, while I knelt next to him. He clenched his fist around something wooden.

"Uh... Herr. Have some candy; it'll make you feel better!" I handed him a lemon-flavored candy with my name on the wrapper, I could thank Maya for that. He smiled at me.

"Thanks, uh... What's your name?" The man asked as he chuckled.

"I'm Ocean, but you can call me Wolf!" I smiled widely and he grinned happily.

"I'm Jack, but people call me JJ." He introduced as I grinned and nodded towards him.

"Neverland!" He joked as we started walking.

"Hey..." Jack noticed the fish head in my hand. He opened his fist, showing the unharmed fish body. I stuck the puzzle pieces together, forming a full wooden fish. I grabbed Jack's hand and zoomed over to the fish-hole; Jack's rose healed up due to the candy. He stuffed the wrapper in his pocket as a loud meowing sound occurred.

"Ah!" I held my hands over my ears.

"Look! A path!" Jack pointed.

"Let's go!" Both of us sprinted down the path, the cat's face vanishing. We stepped into a long hallway, a blank painting next toa rather silly one on the left and lips to the right. I looked at Jack, who shrugged.

"Let's go forwards." I said, happy to have a companion, I didn't feel alone. Then I started to realize something not quite helpful about Jack.

"AH!" Jack yelped, jumping backwards.

"What's wrong?" I asked

"There are... People...!" He said as he pointed out, his arms shaking. I followed his gaze and saw dolls hanging by their feet.

"Oh." He was quiet, but nonetheless, I was happy to have someone with me.